Niko Stratis’ essay collection The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman begins in the realm of typical dad rock, describing the music heard in her own dad’s headphones throughout her childhood (accessing the same emotions I have when I hear the opening guitar riff of “Money for Nothing” or the first chords of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”). By the end of this transformative collection, however, Stratis has redefined dad rock by bringing you along through her own story. It helps, of course, that Stratis and I share the same dad rock playlist, from the now-traditional realms of The National (the in my mind quintessential “Sad Dads”) and Radiohead, to the slightly off-kilter choices of Neko Case or Julien Baker. Never did I think I would be read so thoroughly by an essay collection featuring all of the sad man music I hold so dear to my heart, or by the simple description of saying a person looks like they’re very into Pavement. This collection is tenderhearted and open, written in straightforward yet staggering prose and as someone who came into themselves listening to several of these same acts, I can’t help but adore this collection and rush to put it in the hands of everyone I know.
The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman by Niko Stratis, (List Price: $27.95, University of Texas Press, 9781477331484, May 2025)
Reviewed by Mikey LaFave, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia